Build the Thing Before You Paint It

After nearly 30 years in marketing, branding, and creative direction—from billion-dollar corporations clawing for incremental gains to independent retailers thriving on values and service—I’ve concluded that most people are focused on the wrong part of the build.

We get pulled toward the visual—the branding, the logo, the colours. It’s tangible. You can check it off. It feels like progress, but it’s not the real work.

I’ve fallen for it too. The “if” statements:

If I just had better gear…

If the website looked cleaner…

If the logo was sharper… then I’d finally be ready.

But what I wasn’t doing was working with what I already had—and maxing it out. That’s where professionalism starts—not in a brand package but in systems, clarity, and consistency.

Here’s the thing I might be most proud of: I fail a lot. And I brag about it (but I’m still sorry for the $250,000 “failure” Yanti). Because I’ve learned more from my failures than any course or seminar I’ve ever taken. I’ve learned to ask the right questions earlier. To challenge my assumptions. To ignore my biases. I want to know (to the best of my ability) the thing myself before outsourcing it.

I don’t assume I know everything—I’m not that arrogant. So, I listen. Really listen. A mentor once said, “Most people aren’t listening, they’re just waiting for their turn to talk.” Those are the people to watch out for. The ones too eager to show off and not curious enough to understand.

And it’s wild how often people pitch me “new ideas” that I shared with them months—sometimes years—ago. I don’t need the credit. I just want people to ask themselves: Is this a reasonable or bad cost? Is this vanity or strategy?

Because your clients? They’re not worried about your font choice. They care about what you do, how you do it, and whether they trust you.

Start there. Build the engine. The paint job can come after.